1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a system and method for monitoring personnel; particularly, a personnel monitoring system and method having applications in institutions such as hospitals, homes, and penal institutions for ensuring the security of infants and monitoring the movement of children, patients, and prisoners.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Monitoring systems are available in which, for example, tags are attached to articles. If the tag and article are moved past a detector placed at a strategic location such as an exit, an alarm sounds. Such shop-lifting prevention systems are widely used in department stores. In many cases, it is desirable to monitor movement of persons and in particular to instantly detect the identity of such persons when such movement is detected. In the particular case of hospitals and penal institutions, it is desirable to monitor movement of individuals from one area to another in the building, or at entrances and exits to the building.
In these cases it is not enough to simply detect movement. It is essential to be able to detect both that movement has taken place, and it is also necessary to immediately identify the person detected.
For example in the case of a hospital maternity ward, where despite close monitoring, the number of infant theft attempts has been on the increase. Infant mixups or swaps have also been recent news items.
The movement, location at any point in time, and identity of individuals in such settings is of paramount importance to those responsible for the safety and well being of the young, infirmed, and incarcerated.
In the particular case of infants or patients in hospitals it is important not only to detect movement from one area to another, but it may also be necessary to institute some form of remedial action such as initiating an alarm or instituting a search when unwarranted movement is detected.